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Winchester's 610

A

amfmxm

So some consulting engineer and his wife from up in New Jersey has bought the old WHPL-WTFX-WNTW-WLVE (et cetera)--you know, AM 610, for the whopping price of $5,000 (five thousand dollars) and is looking for a Station Manager-Morning Jock-Sales Person--presumably one with a magic wand up his ass--to turn Super Six-Ten into a ratings & financial success.

Interestingly, they've slapped the old Charles Town WXVA calls on the thing and reduced daytime power so it can run non-DA, sunrise-sunset.

The app states no change to the 4-tower night rig, though. What gives? I thought CC was selling the land to some developer--the purported rationale for bagging 610 in the first place (aside from lack of any billing). Never was anything wrong with the signal, IIRC.

Actually, it kinda sounds like fun, don'tcha think? Building a "new" radio station from scratch? Making that dog bark?

What would you do with a fulltime AM on 610 that would actually work in the Winchester market?
 
For the umpteenth time Clear Channel NEVER owned the land the 610 sat on. NEVER...OK....NEVER. Neither did the previous owner of the station - going back decades...the towers are gone. So if the night license doesn't change, they've got some hefty work ahead of them...

Did I mention they never owned the land? Ever?

Geez...
 
amfmxm said:
So some consulting engineer and his wife from up in New Jersey has bought the old WHPL-WTFX-WNTW-WLVE (et cetera)--you know, AM 610, for the whopping price of $5,000 (five thousand dollars) and is looking for a Station Manager-Morning Jock-Sales Person--presumably one with a magic wand up his ass--to turn Super Six-Ten into a ratings & financial success.

Interestingly, they've slapped the old Charles Town WXVA calls on the thing and reduced daytime power so it can run non-DA, sunrise-sunset.

The app states no change to the 4-tower night rig, though. What gives? I thought CC was selling the land to some developer--the purported rationale for bagging 610 in the first place (aside from lack of any billing). Never was anything wrong with the signal, IIRC.

Actually, it kinda sounds like fun, don'tcha think? Building a "new" radio station from scratch? Making that dog bark?

What would you do with a fulltime AM on 610 that would actually work in the Winchester market?
Click to expand...
The station's website wxva.com says the station "will feature everything new, bright and exciting in the Valley with an eclectic mix of music, features and news" If I was them I would offer something that no other station in that area offered.

As far as special features are concerned, I would offer play-by-play sports features of local high schools and maybe even colleges in that area. If the station is indeed going to play music, I say maybe sub-let the time to various DJs who wish to feature whatever music they wanted to offer. If the station is going to stick one specific genre, I'd go with one of the following: classic country, MOR/nostalgia or maybe a smooth AC not unlike "Timeless Cool".
 
TarlekInSales said:
Hispanic programming, por favor?
Click to expand...
I think we have enough of those; and what good would it do in a rural community like Winchester?

I say bring back eclectic, underground and/or progressive programming not uncommon on FM stations when FM was in its infancy. I understand that new owners paid just $5,000, so the debt to service the station is minimal.
 
Hispanic population is about 6.5%. Not sure what is being programmed in the big cities down the road, but a local sold and local programmed Hispanic station could be a factor, even if brokered.
 
Hispanic could actually be an option if there is no flame thrower covering the market. 6.5% is pretty darn good and virtaully no debt.
 
Go back through the FCC site - new owner to pay for a Long Wire antenna to be installed at the WUSQ site of CC. STA in force. Looks like he wants to be on air on the STA indefinitely at 125 watts (Non-D). His application for a new daytime site (non directional) is for a cell phone tower south of town. Assume a unipole installation for daytime operation. But that application says will use previous directional site at night. Those towers are gone...so there's a dead end. Sounds like they just want to get it on the STA and let it ride for a while.
 
murphy123 said:
Go back through the FCC site - new owner to pay for a Long Wire antenna to be installed at the WUSQ site of CC. STA in force. Looks like he wants to be on air on the STA indefinitely at 125 watts (Non-D). His application for a new daytime site (non directional) is for a cell phone tower south of town. Assume a unipole installation for daytime operation. But that application says will use previous directional site at night. Those towers are gone...so there's a dead end. Sounds like they just want to get it on the STA and let it ride for a while.
Click to expand...

Could very well just be a flip game. Get it on, make it look like a real radio station, hold the night app in abeyance for the next owner to trigger, and sell the SOB for a quick & tidy profit. Don't need much of a selling price to clear a bundle.
 
murphy123 said:
For the umpteenth time Clear Channel NEVER owned the land the 610 sat on. NEVER...OK....NEVER. Neither did the previous owner of the station - going back decades...the towers are gone. So if the night license doesn't change, they've got some hefty work ahead of them...

Did I mention they never owned the land? Ever?

Geez...
Click to expand...

One can blame previous staff from Q102 & WFQX such Warren Gosnell, Wendy Robbins, Charlie Fish, Ian Horne, Jimmy Sanderfur..etc....hell even Randy Woodward since all of them at one time or another had made the claim in public that Q102 had owned the land. Q102's Waren Gosnell, heck I can still remember when he "suggested" live on the air that the band Little Texas "..ought to play HERE in our back yard since we own all of this land.." And when WFQX had plans for their "Frogstock 96" during their infamous Froggy 99 days, I believe Horne & Fish wanted to hold the concert in the back of Q102 again because "...we own the land and don't have to deal with Half Moon Beach". I guess if their own staff "assumes" that they had own the land, no surprise a good many of others did the same.

Still though I am surprised that their staff ( well most of them anyway ) didn't have a clue about that.
 
nuffsaid said:
Hispanic could actually be an option if there is no flame thrower covering the market. 6.5% is pretty darn good and virtaully no debt.
Click to expand...

A hispanic format can work for 610 but its not going to happen, at least not right now at WXVA 610. Reason? WXVA is spsonsoring an event at this years Apple Blossom Festival.

http://www.thebloom.com/events/witp/witp-arts-crafts.html

No way the folks at the bloom would ever allow an hispanic station to sponsor any event at their festival since, well the people running it are old school. This explains also why the bloom has never had a black queen, a gay grand marshall or even having more "modern day" celebrities to attend such as Seth MacFarlane ( The Family Guy ) and David Arquette ( both of whom have ties to Winchester and Frederick County ) instead its Crystal Gayle and...DEBBIE REYNOLDS.

The Bloom plays safe and if anything doesn't fit...aint gonna happen.
 
murphy123 said:
Weird isn't it that a station that is not on the air is sponsoring something at the bloom?
Click to expand...

Weird it is but then again knowing some of the old folks who run the bloom I would NOT be at all surprised that they still believe that 610 is WHPL with Mike Bell doing the morning the show, Pam Bell doing the news and Bonnie Miller giving "..Cornwells TV of Winchester time is 5 past the hour...."

Nevermind the fact the 2 out of the three above are no longer with us.
 
mleach said:
A hispanic format can work for 610 but its not going to happen, at least not right now at WXVA 610. Reason? WXVA is sponsoring an event at this years Apple Blossom Festival.

http://www.thebloom.com/events/witp/witp-arts-crafts.html
Click to expand...
Be on the lookout over the next few weeks - possibly as early as this Monday (13th) for WXVA to start-up!

Why is it that the only options which broadcasters seem to consider anymore on AM seem to be limited to news, talk, sports, ethnic and religious programming? Why not try something new and innovative and get away from the same old same old? Get back to community-oriented programming! Rather than rely solely on advertisement for a station's revenue, why not consider other means of income? The more marginal an AM operation is, the more important this is!
 
klutch00 said:
Why is it that the only options which broadcasters seem to consider anymore on AM seem to be limited to news, talk, sports, ethnic and religious programming? Why not try something new and innovative and get away from the same old same old? Get back to community-oriented programming! Rather than rely solely on advertisement for a station's revenue, why not consider other means of income? The more marginal an AM operation is, the more important this is!
Click to expand...

I think its because they seem to figure no one listens to AM anymore. From an advertising and business standpoint, there isn't any money in it, and as such, no one will invest in it and businesses cannot run without cashflow. Sadly, radio in general may become a casualty of lack of interest from the public, the programmers, and the advertisers, in that order.
 
Are those day and night powers verified? At last check they had temporary non directional authority with no directional towers built for the night time service - the old ones are GONE!
 
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